The lack of driving the net…  All the teams do to the Wings now are forecheck like crazy, and then drop back in front of the goalie… They know that the Wings will shoot from the outside, or pass it around with their vaunted “Puck Possession” game, and attempt more shots from the outside.. (Did I just say that?)  Holmstrom will go to his place of residence in front of the net granted, but aside from Bertuzzi doing it here and there, NOBODY does this anymore.. (Both of these guys probably hang it up after this season)

Franzen aka The MULE; this guy hasn’t driven the net since he cashed in for this big contract he got 2 seasons ago.  He would put guys on his hip and drive the net, not sure where this aspect of his game disappeared to, but all now he wants to do is float around and do wristers from the face-off circle.   Many nights he is not a factor at either end of the ice.  I get disgusted with him more often than not; he reminds me of Fedorov in the aspect of lots of talent and just lazy at times.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk - 

Datsyuk-  a world-class performer; this guy could stick handle his way out of crowded phone booth, and is very good at what he does, with the puck or at the other end of the ice, the Selke awards speak for themselves. I feel like he should be more selfish with the puck than he is, he is a 100 point player IMO but in the Wings defense first scheme, that probably doesn’t happen.  But…. You Already Knew This !!!  (Thank You Alberto Del Rio)

Zetterberg – I wonder if his back injuries are showing up, or never went away.  Regardless he is valuable in the 2 way game;  he is the one that draws the opposing teams top gun each night, just ask Sidney Crosby how good he is defensively.  Another who should be more selfish with the puck,  would like to see him bury it more than he does… But You Already Knew This… !!!  (Thanks to Alberto Del Rio for that one)

It used to be the Wings Top 6 were as good as ANYONE in the league…. I don’t feel it’s that way any longer..   Datsyuk and Zetterberg and it drops off …  Our second line is nothing to fear these days,  Filppula well who knows what to expect from this kid,  I wonder if he ever becomes more than a 3rd line guy,  part of his problem has to do with the constant moving around from 2nd line to 3rd line then back again, it has to really affect his confidence level, but the line swapping is to be expected from Babcock…  Franzen, Filppula, Bertuzzi, Cleary are nothing to fear anymore, Cleary works his tail off but he’s not good for more than 20 goals during a great season, just not there.   Why the Wings front office has stood pat with this issue, well my opinion will show later in this blog..

Blue Line Group – I will say the Top 4 are as good as anyone else can put on the ice…

Norris Nick Lidstrom goes without saying, guy is an amazing player who can’t and won’t be replaced, Top 5 in History at his spot.  Sure he’s lost a step, but he is still at a high level of play even in his early 40′s.

ALL the contenders have improved themselves over the off-season, and some during the season.  Vancouver basically got David Booth for NOTHING…  Booth would be a great fit in Detroit, but once again Ken Holland (Wings GM) drops the ball.  San Jose got bigger and better, Brent Burns was a HUGE pickup for them, and Doug Wilson (Sharks GM) isn’t afraid to make moves if he feels changes should be made or to shake things up…  Holland continually stands pat, plus they have 6 mill of cap space to use, no excuses there.

I along with other Wing fans feel as if Ken Holland is afraid to make a move, obviously he has put back the cap space to make a run at Predators defenseman Shea Weber or Ryan Suter, either would fit our system perfectly, but I prefer Weber because he’s one tough SOB to play against, with a mean streak as big as the booming slapper he unleashes (100mph +) but Holland also has this issue of making kids stay at the AHL level for 3 or 4 seasons, in some cases thats fine but there are times that kids are ready to play) I feel this is the reason he resigned Jonathan Ericsson to a ridiculous contract and didn’t allow top prospect Brendan Smith to play on the Wings this season.  Smith would have benefitted enormously from the experience of Lidstrom each day during practice and his mentoring during the games, but NOOOOOOOOOO we can’t play kids….

Kenny Holland, standing pat like this won’t win another Cup for the Winged Wheel Organization; instead it will be more of the same, losing in the 2nd round or earlier and I will be honest… The best GM the Wings had was allowed to leave for Tampa Florida, and it will cost us in the long run.  It is what it is, and I will support the RedWings team regardless, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have to like what’s going on.  Hopefully you have a rabbit in the hat that you are holding out on pulling, and make me eat my words.  But until then GO WINGS !!!

His first game was surrounded with pomp and circumstance;  people lined up wearing his “Team Tootoo” tie-die jerseys,  people complaining because current Predator Greg Johnson wouldn’t give up his 22  jersey so Jordin could have it.  His father was interviewed by many members of the press locally, and nationally, along with being broadcast across Canada.  He wore 55 and when the team was introduced, he was the last player to come out to the ice, and had a spotlight beaming on him while he skated along the line of his teammates.  AH yes, the sweet smell of “potential” with every hit or skirmish ending with a spotlight being placed on his father, along with his picture on the jumbotron with a loud ovation.  Tootoo had arrived and the Preds people were going nuts over it.   To ask a Predator fan, he is the toughest player in the NHL, and only takes on the biggest player on the ice and beats all the “heavyweights” around the NHL…My question is this……Does he???

When he does drop the mitts, more of then than not he drops them and gets a cheap shot in before his opponent can shed their gloves… I’m not a Tootoo fan, I think his style of play is at times dirty.  He leaves his feet more often than not during his vicious checks,  he will headhunt often, and he is a repeat offender at hitting from behind, with no remorse.  I feel like he picks his fights (the info I will supply does back that claim) according to if he feels as if he can win or not. Many times when he fights, he drops his mitts and lands a sucker punch before the opponent can remove their gloves or helmet, thus giving him the upper hand.  Such incidents of this, were the Stephane Robidas incident in 2007, for which he received a 5 game suspension; (this season 2008 he skated up to Brad Staubitz of the San Jose Sharks, dropped his mitt and decked the guy.  Tape of that incident was sent to the NHL office, but nothing happened. Staubitz was able to get back at Tootoo later when they fought later in the game, Staubitz called Tootoo out prior to a faceoff and the fight ended in a draw)

The offensive skills are lacking (22g, 23a in 232 NHL games played) David Poile (Preds GM) continually states that Toots is indeed a skilled player, but they have tried numerous times to get his scoring going by placing him on a top line with an established scorer;  (Forsberg, Kariya, Arnott, Dumont to name a few) but if you don’t pile up points with those guys on your line, I think its safe to say you never will.

I have made a list of Tootoo’s NHL fight log,  I found this information at Hockeyfights.com, so it’s there in the open along with most of his fights available on You Tube for viewing.  Some of these I remember the outcome without going back and viewing others I don’t ……. Some of these guys have fought Tootoo more than once, but ive only listed them once

Rostislav Klesla
Mike Danton – Danton and Tootoo fought many times , most during the minor league days, both have wins
Jamal Mayers – draw
Dallas Drake
Mathieu Dandanault – Tootoo wins
Mark Bell
Brad Ference
Jason Chimera

Jarome Iginla – Tootoo wins but hasn’t given Iginla a rematch yet.
Jeremy Reich
Darcy Verot – Tootoo
Tyler Wright – Tootoo
Marc Chouinard
David Ling
Todd Simpson – Simpson with a beatdown
Jeff Woywitka – Woywitka has no business fighting anyone……
Reed Low – Low lands 13 or 14 consecutive punches to Tootoos head, not even close

Nick Boynton – not even close, Tootoo kissed the ice
Kevin Bieksa – nice fight, some said draw, Bieksa won IMO
Steve Goertzen
Ole-Kristan Tollefsen – Tootoo wears this guy out
Eric Brewer – Brewer cant fight
Jay McClement – 22
Shane OBrien – nice win for Tootoo, OBrien is no slouch
Adam Foote – Foote wins in a boring fight, Miss Pickler in attendance below my seat.
Robyn Regehr – drop em early Tootoo
Ryane Clowe - beatdown by Clowe, this was during a playoff series

Steve McCarthy
Ian Laperriere
Krys Barch – Barch pulls the jersey over the head and pounds Tootoo

Joe DiPenta
James Wisniewski – WIZ beats Tootoo down, but sustains a knee injury in the process.
Adam Mair – another of Tootoo’s “JUMP” efforts, wasnt close Tootoo dominated this
Jan Hejda
Jared Boll – theyve fought more than once
Boris Valabik – not much footage of this, was in the preseason
Brandon Prust – Prust
Brad Staubitz – DRAW
Craig Weller- Tootoo easily, Weller cant fight

Alexandre Burrows – Burrows only fought because he had to, he wasn’t a willing participant

As you can see, most of these guys aren’t what you would call a “heavyweight” , I would go with “middleweight” for most.   There are some that are not fighters at all….He is not beating anyone that would give substance to this status he is given by the Predator fans, nothing about his play would ever make him anything but a check line player; also add in the reckless abandon that he displays in throwing his body around during these checks, and within the next couple of seasons he will start to get the nagging injuries, especially in his shoulders.

I will admit that yes, he was good enough to make it to the NHL;  but his lack of discipline on and off the ice shows, his game has not improved in either end of the ice; same with the skating. I feel he could be a much better player if he would work at it,  but who knows what makes Tootoos head tick…what’s he capable of?  does HE even know? Has complacency set in?   For now I will have to say that this Nashville buildup of Tootoo is nothing more than the locals rallying behind the tough guy,  but Tootoo doesn’t have a fan following around the NHL as did Probert, Domi, Kocur, McSorley, Gino Odjick, George Laraque to name a few…For now I’ll just have to say this is nothing more than a cult following , and in the case of Nashville….its a small one…….

Hockey is my favorite sport above all others, I read up on the events and teams of the NHL on a daily basis; I also have favorites on each team but there are a few teams that in my eyes, are brutal to watch.  I’m currently residing the Nashville TN area, sorta been a nomad in life with former residences in the Kansas City, Detroit, Chicago areas.  I also spent part of childhood in Youngstown, Ohio which is 60 miles (give or take from Pittsburgh, I remember listening to the Pens as a kid, and remember when they <ahem> put themselves in position to draft a certain Mario guy.   Randy Carlyle was on the team as well..  Cleveland Ohio was 70 miles and for a couple of seasons they had the Barons, who after a few years of cellar dwelling, were laid to rest as they merged with the Minnesota North Stars.  Im showing my age I know !  Before I wrap up this first post, I just want to say that i’m BLUNT with comments at times; and I don’t flame on people because their opinions may differ from mine about a sport ; I do enjoy the debate so feel free to comment, they are welcome and appreciated !!    Time for a plate of ribs and NFL games so im the Droppa and Im out !